1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aprons of the type that afford a protective shield to wearers and, more particularly, to a system wherein aprons can be serially removed from a container for use.
2. Bavkground Art
Aprons are used in a wide range of environments by both adults and children engaged in both professional and recreational activities. Aprons are commonly worn around the home to shield the wearer and the wearer""s clothes during cooking, cleaning, painting, etc. In industry, aprons are commonly worn in labs and in any environment in which an individual is potentially exposed to foreign material, be it potentially dangerous or harmless. Children have likewise been common users of aprons, both at home and at school. At school, aprons may be appropriate in classes that involve working with materials that may stain clothing, among which are lab classes and art classes.
As people become busier both at home and work, speed and convenience often dictate their behavior. While aprons are often appropriate in many situations, the inconvenience associated with locating and donning an apron may cause individuals to proceed without the apron and gamble that they will not detrimentally expose themselves to any foreign matter. Those proceeding without a warranted apron may often be required to act more cautiously than normal to avoid unwanted contact with foreign material. This may compromise performance. In spite of this conscious effort to exercise care, damaging of clothing or, in a worst case, potentially dangerous contact with a harmful material, may result. This is particularly true in situations where individuals act spontaneously when situations arise unexpectedly that call for an apron. Rather than seek out an apron, the user commonly opts to proceed and face the risk of exposure without the apron.
In the interest of promoting use of aprons, purveyors of aprons have devised various systems for bulk dispensing of disposable aprons. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,568 discloses aprons which are formed in a roll and which are joined, each to the other, along lines weakened by perforations. To prepare an apron for use, the user is required to unroll an apron and sever the connection between that apron and the next apron connected thereto in the same manner that one commonly separates large capacity plastic kitchen and yard bags from a roll. This is generally a two-handed operation which represents a significant enough inconvenience that it may deter someone from using an apron. Additionally, the need to weaken the connection between adjacent aprons by perforations may make this construction impractical for certain materials that are otherwise desirable for use in making aprons.
Designers of these types of systems commonly seek ways to encourage the practical use of aprons even for a simple, isolated task.
In one form, the invention is directed to an apron dispensing system including a container and first and second aprons each having a stored state and a usable state. The first and second aprons each consist of a sheet and at least one of a) a strap that is extendable around the neck of a wearer, b) a strap that is extendable around the torso of a wearer, and c) a strap that is extendable around at least one of a leg and an arm of a wearer to maintain the sheet in a protective covering position over a part of the wearer with the apron in the usable state. The first and second aprons are engageable, each with the other, and cooperate with each other and the container so that a) with the first and second aprons in the stored state in the container the first apron has an exposed portion that can be grasped to separate the first apron from the container by drawing the first apron substantially in a first direction in a first line and b) continuous movement of the first apron in the first direction in the first line causes the first apron to i) draw the second apron relative to the container so that an exposed portion of the second apron becomes accessible to be grasped to separate the second apron from the container and ii) fully separate from the second apron.
In one form, each of the first and second aprons is defined by a single piece of material.
In one form, the first and second aprons have intermeshed folds which cause the first and second aprons to releasably grip each other with a force that allows a) the first apron to draw the second apron relative to the container to a withdrawal position wherein the exposed portion of the second apron becomes accessible to be grasped and b) the first apron to fully separate from the second apron as an incident of the first apron being drawn by a user in the first direction in the first line.
In one form, the first apron is joined to the second apron by a frangible connecting portion which a) holds the first and second aprons together with a force that allows the first apron to draw the second apron relative to the container to a withdrawal position and b) ruptures to allow the first apron to fully separate from the second apron as an incident of the first apron being drawn by a user in the first direction in the first line.
In alternative forms, the first and second aprons may be joined by an adhesive or by cooperating connecting parts so as to operate as described above.
The first and/or second aprons may be made from one of plastic, paper, metal or a cloth material.
In one form, the container defines a storage space within which the first and second aprons reside with the first and second aprons in the stored state. The container has a removal opening through which the first and second aprons are drawn to remove the first and second aprons from the storage space. The removal opening and the first and second aprons are relatively dimensioned so that the first and second aprons must be squeezed through the removal opening to separate the first and second aprons from the container. The container thus provides resistance to removal of the first and second aprons from the storage space.
In one form, the first apron has a strap that is extendable around the neck of the wearer and a strap that is extendable around the torso of the wearer.
In one form, at least one of the straps includes first and second joinable parts.
In another form, the invention is directed to an apron dispensing system having a container with a removal opening and first and second aprons each having a storage state and a usable state. The first and second aprons each consist of a sheet and at least one of a) a strap that is extendable around the neck of a wearer, b) a strap that is extendable around the torso of a wearer, and c) a strap that is extendable around at least one of a leg and an arm of a wearer to maintain the sheet in a protective covering position over a part of the wearer with the apron in the usable state. The first and second aprons are placed in stacked relationship in the storage state in the container so that a) the first apron has a portion exposed at the removal opening that can be grasped to separate the first apron from the container by drawing the first apron substantially in a first direction in a first line and b) separation of the first apron from the container causes a portion of the second apron to be exposed at the removal opening to be grasped and drawn in the first direction in the first line to separate the second apron from the container.
In one form, the first and second aprons are releasably connected, each to the other in a manner that the first and second aprons can be separated by a force exerted on the first apron in the first line in the first direction.